Jet Aviation recently added a McDonnell-Douglas DC-8-72 vip, fitted with CFM 56 engines, to its charter fleet. The aircraft has a range of 6,200nm and a 36-seat configuration. Jet Aviation is touting for heads-of-state, high-level business travellers and entertainment clients with the DC-8. Martin Bernegger, vp and manager of Jet Aviation charter, said: "The extended range is a tremendous advantage in the competitive market, with only a very small handful of charter aircraft this size being able to match it.

"The cabin of the DC-8-72 has a master bedroom, master bath (with shower), sitting lounge, mid bar, dining lounge, conference lounge, galley, and two passenger lavatories," he continued.

The aircraft, to be based in Basel, has been managed by Jet Aviation for several years, under Bermuda registration. To make it available for charter, it has been placed on the Swiss register, as a commercial airliner.

To achieve this registration, the charter company reports that it had to make technical modifications - an enhanced cockpit voice recorder, a digital flight data recorder, floor-level escape markings and a high-tech DVD player with flat screen television were added to the plane's interior.

Jet Aviation's European charter fleet includes Challenger 601s and 604s, Citation IIs and Falcon 900s. The first of two Citation Bravos, ordered earlier this year, arrived in October, the second is expected in spring of next year.

The DC-8 arrives as the biggest aircraft available for charter by the company, and can expect to be worked hard: Last year, Jet Aviation provided more than 40,000 hours of charter in global flight operations, including its US operations.